Refuse collecting container



. 3, 1940.. H. LINDE REFUSE COLLECTING CONTAINER Filed Nov. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 3, 1940; H. LINDE REFUSE COLLECTING CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1936 H. LINDE REFUSE COLLECTING CONTAINER Dec. 3, 1940.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 24, 1936 I l I I II i I l I l I II I l I I I I i I -1-4-l- Ill 5' LzJ Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES REFUSE COLLECTING CONTAINER 'Hilding Linde, Kalmar, Sweden Application November 24, 1936, Serial No. 112,593 In Sweden December 12, 1935 14 Claims.

The present invention relates to refuse collecting containers and has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for feeding the refuse into the container while simultaneously increasing its specific gravity so that the volume of the container may be more effectively utilized than would be the case if the refuse was not compressed within the container. Evidently, this is of particular importance in connection with vehicular collecting containers, the invention being primarily intended for use in refuse vehicles or dust-carts.

According to the invention, improved loading means for refuse collecting containers are 0btained by the provision of a rotary conveyor screw in a casing or the like which opens into the container which conveyor screw extends with its shaft preferably only partly through the container and is adapted to force the refuse out of the casing into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container. Preferably, the pitch of this conveyor screw decreases towards the discharge opening of the casing, and in the preferred constructions the screw is directed obliquely upwards, the length and general arrangement of the screw being such that its inner end as well as the discharge opening of the casing are located in the lower portion of the container, preferably at the bottom thereof. The latter may have a trough-like depres-, sion provided therein, housing the conveyor screw and sloping towards one of thewalls of the container and, preferably, the casing surrounding the screw should extend into the container as so far as the screw itself, the casing being usually cylindrical and having a collar-like flange or extension at the upper edge of the discharge opening. At its inner end the conveyor screw should be cantilevered, whereas it may be sup- 40 ported at its outer end by the lower portion, preferably, of a discharging shutter swingably' mounted at its top end, the preferred arrangement being such that the longitudinal direction of the conveyor screw is approximately parallel to a plane perpendicular to the swinging axis of the shutter. In case of motor vehicles the screw may be driven from the motor, the connection between the motor and the screw comprising, for 5 instance, two coupling members movable, preferably, automatically, into and out of coupling engagement with one another, one of said coupling members being mounted on the vehicle proper and the other being carried by the container, preferably by the said shutter, which rear portionof the container with appendant 1o loading means, I Figure 3 is a partial rear end view of the vehicle, cut away as indicated by the line III-III of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 shows a detailed section through the 1:5

refuse feedingmeans. V

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a dust-cart according to a second embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 20,

VIVI in Figure 5. I

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-4 a closed collecting container I is pivotally mounted, at its rear end, on the chassis 2 of a motor truck, and by means of the driving motor of said truck, in conjunction with any suitable mechanism not shown in the drawings, it may be tipped up, in the longitudinal plane of the ve hicle, into the position 1 indicated in dotted lines in Figure l. The rear end-wall of the 3p.

container is constituted by a shutter 3 hingedly connected to the container at its upper end and adapted, at the tipping of the container, to be swung out in the same plane as the latter so as to assume the position 3 Any suitable mechanism may be used to bring about this opening of the shutter 3, but in the embodiment shown it mainly consists of one or more wires 4 each connected ,at one end to the shutter and at the other end to the chassis 2, and each mountedon a segmental guide 5 at the top of the shutter and on'upper and lower guide rolls 6 at the front end of the container whereby the shutter is automatically swung outwardly when the container is being tipped.

Provided in the rear portion of the bottom of the container is a trough-like depression 1, sloping rearwardly and locatedbetween the longitudinal carriers 2 of the chassis. When the shutter 3 is in its closed position this depression is occupied by the lower portion of a substantially cylindrical casing or mantle 8 for a conveyor screw 9 which parts are both supported by the shutter 3. The screw 9 is fixed to a shaft I0 which passes through the shutter and is journalled in a bearing ll, mounted out-side the shutter, as well as in an axial bearing [2 supported by a hood is secured to the outer side of the shutter. In the embodiment shown, the

discharge opening 23 of the mantle 8 is located approximately. in the same plane as the adjacent end of the conveyor screw, and is provided at its top edge, at least, with a conical collar 24 diverging from theaxis of the screw, the purpose of this structure being to protect the cantilevcred screw against lateral strain from the material collected in the container. be formed-integral with the mantle or it may,

consist of a plate or flange fixed thereto. To

the top of or laterally of the rear portion'fof the mantle and located at some distance. from the discharge opening thereof is connected a loadj ing chute 25, extending. through the shutter 3 and having a loading inlet outside the same.

Preferably, this inlet is provided with a device' enabling a dustless discharge of dustbins, which device may or may not be knownper se. The devicein'dicatedin Figures 2 and 3 comprises a loading shutterZG mounted to swing about its shown more than 50- per cent, larger than; the

cross-area of the conveyor screw, and in some cases it will also be suitable to arrange the screw eccentrically within the casing or mantle. In Figure 3 the eccentricity is denoted by e, the screw being located nearestto. the one of the opposite casing walls adjoining the walls of the chute,.towards which the peripheral screw portions move, upon rotation of the screw in the direction of the arrow, from a position opposite the chute opening. The shape of the screw is such that the pitch s decreases towards the inner end of the screw, and the screw generatrix G forms an acute angle a with the axial direction of the casing. Housed by the hood I3 is a worm wheel [4 (indicated by dotted lines in Figure 4) fi-xed to the shaft l0 and meshing with a-worm IE on a shaft [6, connected by means of a bevel gear I1, l8 to ashaft 19, the latter and the shaft It being both carried by the shutter 3. In the closed position of the latter the shaft i9 is coaxial with a shaft 20 journalled on the chassis 2, and is connected thereto by means of a clawcou-pling 2|, 22, one member of which (according to Figure 4 the member 22, mounted on shaft 20) may be urged by a spring towards the other member; The shaft '29 may be connected to the ordinary drive-motor of the Vehicle or with any other source of power. gether with the parts carried thereby is swung out from thecontainer, the coupling members 2|, 22 are disconnected. At the return motion 1 of the container and the shutter they are aut0- matically brought'back intocoupling engage- -ment, whereupon the shutter 3 maybe locked to the container by some suitable means not shown in the drawings. Y Y

' When a' dustbin 29 is emptied through the shutter opening 21 the refuse falls, through chute 25, into" the portion of the casing 8 located beneath the chute. When the conveyor screw is rotated in the direction of the'arrow by the driv- .ing means I l-22, the refuse is forced towards the discharge opening of the casing and is forced This collar may 'When the shutter 3 to-v into the container against the pressure created by refuse previously existent therein. Apparently, this pressure increases with the refuse contents of the container, so that a compression of the refuse takes place during the loading operation. Since refuse material is highlycompressible, its specific gravity is thereby increased to a considerable extent so that by far more refuse may be fed into the container than would otherwise be the case. The decreasing pitch of the conveyor screw obviously causes some compression of the refuse before the latter enters the container.

In order to effect the compression aimed at the conveyor screw need not necessarily, as in the embodiment above described, be arranged at the bottom end of a swinging discharge shutter mounted on the container. conveyor may, for instance, be stationarily mounted in or at one end of the container. Such embodiment is shown inFigures 5 and 6, wherein to tip the container in'the longitudinal plane of the vehicle. In this embodiment also the con-: veyor screw 33, which is directed towards the interior of the container,is arranged in a troughlike depression or recess 44 in the bottom of the container and may be cantilevered in the same way as in the embodiment previously described. Thedriving means may be similar in principle but may comprise also a pair of gear wheels which are mounted respectively on the container and the chassis so as to be brought into and out of engagement when the container assumes or is raised from its normal horizontal position. The recess 44 slopes towardsthejfront end-wall of the contain'erand is arranged laterally of the chassis 4| and, preferably, is adapted to form part of a casing 45 housing the conveyor screw #3, the discharge opening 45 of the casing being inclined upwards and provided with a collar 41 at its upper edge. At some distance from its discharge opening, the casing 45 is surmounted by a chute 48 arranged within the container and having a loading opening 49 provided in the sidee wall of the container. The said opening may be provided with a device for dustless discharge of the kind above referred to. The conveyor Instead the screw screw may be constructed in-the same manner conveyor screw generatrix forms an acute angle. with the axis of the screw, for the angle in ques ticn may'also be a right one and, moreover, the generatrix may be a curved line. In embodiments, wherein the collecting container is adapted to be emptied by tipping and' wherein the screw is carried by said container and con nected with some external source of power, the

said driving connection need not necessarily be mechanical. In lieu thereof it may be electrical or .hydraulical, the screw beingdriven by an electhe or hydraulic motor supported by the con-' tainer and, by means of suitably mounted connections, fed from a generator or pump, respectively, which, in case of powerdriven refuse vehicles, may be driven by the drive motor of the vehicle. The driving connections in question may be so arranged that they need not be interrupted or broken upon tipping of the container.

This also applies to a mechanical connection which, for' this purpose, may be lead through the swinging centre of the container and, where the screw is carried by a swingable discharge shutter, also through the swinging centre of said shutter. In such embodiments, on the other hand, where the driving connection is interrupted or broken at the tipping of the container, the same need not necessarily comprise an automatic coupling, as was the case in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-4. Since the driving connection must be broken only at the time the container is being emptied, a manually operated coupling may, in certain cases, be employed without considerable inconvenience. Although in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-4 the casing for the conveyor screw is constituted by a continuous sheet metal mantle 8 carried by the movable shutter 3, it will also be possible to omit the lower portion of the mantle, leaving its function to be performed, for instance, by the trough-like depression I. In such case the peripheral extent of the latter should, preferably, be made some- 0 what more than 180 and that of the top portion be shortened correspondingly so that the lower position of the casing thus formed will not impede movement of the top portion when the shutter is to be opened. This object is attained also in case the lower portion and the top portion are slightly displaced laterally.

Although the invention is primarily adaptable for use in connection with dustcarts, etc., it may evidently be used to advantage also in collecting and transport containers for loose materials other than refuse, provided said material is relatively compressible.

What I claim is:

1. In a refuse collecting container mounted on a motor vehicle having a chassis, the combination with a casing having a discharge opening into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw adapted to force the refuse out of said casing and into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, said conveyor screw having a shaft, said screw including its shaft being sufficiently short to leave a free distribution space between the shaft end, in the feeding direction, and the opposite container wall, and means for establishing a driving connection between the vehicle motor and the other end of the conveyor screw, said driving connection comprising two coupling members, one of which is carried by the container and the other by the vehicle chassis, and said coupling members being movable into and out of coupling engagement with one another.

2. In a refuse collecting container having a swingable discharge closure, the combination with a casing which opens into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw, a cantilever mounting for the end portion of the conveyor screw located nearest to the discharge opening of the casing, said screw being adapted to force the refuse out of said casing into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, said conveyor screw and said casing being carried by the'swingable closure.

3. A refuse collecting container as claimed in claim 2, the conveyor screw being arranged inside the closure, and driving means for the screw outside the closure.

4. A refuse vehicle, comprising in combination, a vehicle chassis, a closed collecting container carried by said chassis and mounted to swing about a substantially horizontal axis at the rear end thereof, a rotary conveyor screw having a shaft and being stationarily mounted in the opposite end of the container, and an openended casing for said conveyor screw, said screw, including its shaft, being of a length sufiiciently short to leave a free distribution space between the shaft end, in the feeding direction, and the rear end wall of the container.

5. In a refuse collecting container, the combination with a casing having a discharge opening into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw adapted to force the refuse out of said casing and into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, said conveyor screw, including a shaft, being of a length sufficiently short to leave a free distribution space between the end of the screw including the shaft thereof and the container wall in the feeding direction, the pitch of said conveyor screw decreasing towards the discharge opening of the casing, and means for driving the opposite end of the conveyor screw.

6. In a refuse collecting container, the combination with a casing having a discharge opening into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw extending through said casing and adapted to force the refuse out of said discharge opening into the container, said conveyor screw having a shaft, the inner end of said shaft being located substantially in the center of said discharge opening, and said casing, at the upper edge of its discharge opening, having a collar-like flange diverging from the axis of the conveyor screw.

7. In a refuse collecting container, the combination with a casing having a discharge opening. into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw within said casing and adapted to force the refuse out of said discharge opening into the container against the pressure creater by refuse already in the container, and a cantilever mounting for the inner end portion of said conveyor screw.

8. In a refuse collecting container, the combination with a substantially cylindrical casing having a discharge opening into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw extending through said casing and adapted to force the refuse out of said casing and into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, and the said screw being eccentrically mounted relatively to the said casing.

9. A refuse collecting container as claimed in claim 8, and wherein a portion of the casing located at a distance from the discharge opening, is connected above to a loading chute, the conveyor screw being located nearest to the one of two opposite casing walls adjoining the chute, towards which the peripheral screw portions move from a position opposite the chute.

10. In a refuse collecting container, the combination with a casing having a discharge opening into the container, of a rotary conveyor screw adapted to force the refuse out of said casing and into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, said conveyor screw, including a shaft, being of a length sufficiently short to leave a free distribution space between the end of the screw including the shaft thereof and the container wall located in the feeding direction, the conveyor screw generatrix forming an acute angle with the. axial direction of the screw towards the discharge opening of the casing, and means for driving the opposite end of the conveyor screw.

11. A refuse vehicle, comprising in combination, a motor vehicle, a collecting container swingably mounted on said motor vehicle, a discharge shutter constituting one of the walls of the container and hingedly connected thereto at its top portion, the shutter and the container being mounted to swing in substantially the same plane, a casing opening into the container, a rotary conveyor screw carried by said shutter. and adapted to force the refuse out of said casing and into the container against the pressure created by refuse already in the container, and a driving connection between the vehicle motor and the conveyor screw, said driving connection comprising two coupling members, one of which is carried by the shutter whereas the other is mounted on the vehicle.

12. A refuse vehicle as claimed in claim 4, and

the container having a floor provided with atrough-like depression laterally of the vehicle chassis carrying the container, the conveyor screw being located in said depression.

'13.. In a refuse collecting container, the combination'. with, a casing having a discharge open-' being mounted on said closure swingable together with said closure and the upper portion of the casing.

r 14. A refuse vehicle comprising a vehicle chassis, a body carried by said chassis, said body:

having a refuse receiving device in its fore end and a refuse collecting container in its rear portion, and a rearwardly directed rotary conveyor screw located near the bottom of the body with its fore portion below said refuse receiving device to feed the refuse into the refuse collecting container, and driving means connecting the. fore end of said. screw with the motor of the vehicle for driving said conveyor screw, the rear end of said screw having a cantilever mounting.

HILDING LINDE. 

